Despite keeping it close throughout the first quarter of their home opener against Rutgers (3-0) on Feb. 17, the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team (2-1) went scoreless in the second quarter, allowing the Scarlet Knights to run away with the game in a 13-6 win. This marked the Hoyas’ first loss of the season. 

Coming off a big 13-5 road win against Towson (1-1) on Feb. 14, Georgetown was hoping to open their season on a three-game win streak against Rutgers. On a chilly Saturday afternoon at Cooper Field, the Scarlet Knights kicked off the scoring with a goal during the opening minute of the game. 

However, junior attacker Emma Gebhardt responded with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter to tie the score 1-1. 

Reflecting on the game and the team’s performance, Gebhardt said she had mixed feelings. 

“There were some things that went well, but also things we need to work on,” Gebhardt told The Hoya. She added, “We always take it one game at a time.” 

Following a 3-goal run by the Scarlet Knights, Gebhardt managed to score another goal at the end of the first quarter, making the score 4-2. 

However, the visitors’ offense proved too strong for the Hoyas in the second quarter, who had no answers on either end of the field. Holding Georgetown scoreless, Rutgers added 5 additional goals in the period. Heading into halftime, the Hoyas were on the wrong end of a 9-2 scoreline. 

Georgetown finally found some momentum in the third quarter, as sophomore attacker Gracie Driggs added a point for the Hoyas. Rutgers, however, was unfazed, responding with 3 goals of their own to take an insurmountable 9-goal lead, 12-3, heading into the final quarter. 

Georgetown won the fourth quarter scoring battle 3-1, but it proved too little, too late. Rutgers ran out the clock the rest of the game to claim a comfortable 13-6 victory over the Hoyas. 

After the game, junior midfielder Maley Starr said the team’s preparation for the home opener fell short of expectations. 

“There was a lack of discipline throughout the game. This game was disappointing,” Starr told The Hoya. “We were coming off a big win over Towson, and I don’t think we prepared ourselves properly for the opponent.”

Rutgers heavily outshot Georgetown 34-to-21, including a 25-to-17 disparity for shots on goal. The Hoyas also conceded 19 turnovers in the game, three more than their opponents.

However, Starr offered high praise for junior goalkeeper Leah Warehime, who finished the game with 12 saves for a .480 save percentage to keep Georgetown competitive despite the major shot disparity. 

“Our goalie, Leah, had our back throughout the game. However, we weren’t performing well on many other areas of the field,” Starr said.

Looking back at her performance, Warehime emphasized the value of fundamentals.

“There are definitely things to work on in all areas of the field,” Warehime told The Hoya. “We need to focus on valuing the ball and executing the fundamentals.” 

Despite the loss, Starr was optimistic that the team could learn from its mistakes as the Hoyas look forward to their first conference game against Villanova (2-1) on March 23.

“Luckily a loss like this happened early in the season and we will be able to learn moving forward,” Starr said. 

The Hoyas will look to get back in the win column as they take on Harvard (1-0) on Feb. 23 at Cooper Field.